Elevator guide rail fastener



Aug. 19, 1958 D. D. TOFANELLI 2,848,077

ELEVATOR GUIDE RAIL FASTENER Filed Jan. 24. 1956 DfiN/EL 0112/0 TOFAAELUINVENTOR BY ATTOR-NEY nited States Patent Ufiice 2,848,077 Patented Aug.19, 1958 ELEVATOR GUIDE RAIL FASTENER Daniel Dario Tofanelli,Bronxville, N. Y., assignor to Otis Elevator Company, New York, N. Y., acorporation of New Jersey Application January 24, 1956, Serial No.560,960

6 Claims. (Cl. 189-.35)

This invention relates to a guide rail fastener for forming elevatorguide rails to a supporting structure.

In the past guide rails for both the elevator car and its counterweightwere rigidly attached to the elevator hoistway walls or to the buildingstructure at predetermined points along the length of the guide rails.The common practice utilized guide rails which were prefabricated inindividual sections of suitable lengths, such as sixteen-foot sections.These sections were rigidly attached to the hoistway walls in abuttingrelation and in order to prevent a deformation of the guide rails due tobuilding compression or thermal expansion it was necessary to leave agap between the abutting edges of adjacent sections. Since the amount ofbuilding settling is not readily susceptible to perdetermination, thedimension of the gap between guide rail sections could not be preciselyascertained. When an excessive opening was preset for this gap, theguide rail sections would not abut after building compression and theelevator car would be subjected to a series of bumps during its verticaltravel; when an inadequate opening was preset, the guide rail sectionswould be deformed due to building compression and the vertical travel ofthe elevator car would be rough and uneven.

Heretofore the guide rail sections were rigidly attached to a supportingstructure by rail clamps, a conventional design of which is disclosed inPatent No. 2,700,434, granted January 25, 1955. These prior rail clampswere secured by means of a nut and a bolt extending through an apertureinthe clamp and through an aperture in a mounting plate. As the buildingsettled, the forces transmitted to the rail clamp caused the clamp topivot about the axis of the bolt and this pivotal action caused one edgeof the clamp to embed itself in the edge of the rail flange. Thus thevertical movement of the guide rail relative to the clamp was preventedand deformation of the guide rail occurred.

In modern elevator installations in tall buildings the amount ofdeformation caused by building compression seriously interferes with thesmooth travel of high-speed elevators and while the guide rail sectionsmust be attached to the building structure, they.must also be maintainedin alignment. Such an eifectis accomplished by this invention whichpermits the guide rail sections to be securely fastened to thesupporting structure and maintains them in alignment by allowing forrelative upward movement of .the guide rail sections as the buildingsettles.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide an improvedguide rail fastener which is extremely simple in. construction,.economical to manufacture, and easy to install.

A further object of this invention is to provide a guide rail fastenerfor attaching an elevator guide rail to a supporting structure andpermitting relative vertical movement between the fastener and the railto prevent deformation of the rail.

It is another object of this invention to provide a slidable alignmentdevice which permits the guide rail to be adjusted in a horizontal planeafter installation.

Another object of this invention is to provide a guide rail fastenerwhich is adjustable in both a horizontal and a vertical plane to permitthe guide rail automatically to adjust itself with respect to thesupporting structure thereby preventing distortion of the guide rail byexternal forces or by thermal stresses.

Another object of this invention resides in attaching an elevator guiderail to a supporting structure by utilizing a mounting member having apair of inclined slots, each of which receives a bolt to attach a, railflange clamping member to the mounting member in such a manner that anedge of the clamping member will not become embedded in the guide railflange.

Other features and advantages of this invention will be apparent fromthe following description and appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the preferred embodiment of thisinvention;

Figure 2 is a top plan view with some of the elements shown in section;and

Figure 3 is a sectional view of the mounting plate taken on line 3-3Figure 2.

As illustrated in Figure 1' the guide rail fastener is adapted to berigidly connected to any type supporting structure and for purposes ofdescription such supporting structure is shown as a concrete wall 1. .Amounting plate 2 is rigidly secured to the supporting structure in anysuitable manner as by embedding one end of the plate in the concretewall 1. A, guide rail 3 has a mounting web formed by a pair ofoppositely disposed attaching flanges; 4, and a guiding web 5. Eachflange 4 tapers from a thick dimension. at its juncture with the guidingweb 5 to a thin dimension at. its edge 8. Although only a portion, of,guide rail 3 is shown, it is to be. understood that this invention isapplicable to the entire length of a guide rail which, is to beinstalled in an elevator hoistway to. guide: the travel of the elevator.i

The mounting plate 2 has .a. pairofinclined slots 6, one of which isutilized in conjunction with the left flange of the guide railwhile the,other is for the right flange. The slots 6 are, inclined from thevertical so that the major axes ofv both slots are. convergent for apurpose to be-described hereinafter. The degree of inclination oftheslots 6 may: be varied to fit a particular installation and in oneinstancean'angle. of 8 /2 degrees from the vertical has been foundto besatisfactory.

The guide rail 3, ismounted on thezmounting plate 2 with the rear faceofflanges 4 beingretained in. surface contact with the mounting plate,by means. of .a pair of fastening plates 7, one for each flange. Eachfastening plate 7 is made of spring steel' and has an attaching portion10, a shoulder portion '11 and an offset clamping portion 12 to clampthe rail flange 4 to the mouniil 'tg plate. Anaperture 13 in theattaching portion 10 receives abolt14 having its head JlS'positionedadjacent the shoulder portion 11 which acts as a stop to preventrotation of the bolt 14. The bolt 14extend's through the slot 6' and theattaching portion 10. A look washer I6 and nut '17 securely fasten theelements together; The length of the fasteningplate 7' is almost asgreat asthe width ofthe mounting plate 2 and has the desirable eflfectof'maintaining vertical alignment of the guide rail 3 between thelongitudinal extremities of the fastening plate 7'. The shoulder portion11 snugly abuts the-edge Sofrail' flange 4 but, because of the slope ofthe flange 4 there. is not complete surface .con-. tact between flange 4and clamping, portion 12, but only a narrow band or line contact with anair space therebetween as is clearly illustrated in Figure 2. Thisnarrow band of contact arrangement facilitates relative verticalmovement between the clamping portion 12 and the rail flange whilemaintaining rail flange 4 securely against the mounting plate 2. Theattaching portion is bottomed on mounting plate 2 by tightening nut 17on the bolt 14 and because the clamping portion 12 is offset from theattaching portion 10 an amount determined by the thickness of the flangeedge 8, any excessive tightening of nut 1.7 will have no effect on theclamping portion 12, with the result that relative vertical movement ofthe guide rail cannot be impeded by an abnormal pressure exerted on thefastening plate 7.

In mounting guide rails in an elevator hoistway, the guide rails aresecured to the building structure or the structural steel framework atapproximately twelve-foot intervals throughout the hoistway. Thissupporting structure will vary both in its vertical and horizontaldimensions as a result of the compression of the building, which is areaction that takes place in every building. The variance is especiallygreat in the taller buildings where an elevator is a necessity forvertical transportation. The objective of maintaining elevator guiderails in vertical alignment is accomplished by utilizing a pair ofoppositely inclined slots 6 in the mounting plate 2 for receiving thebolts 14.

During the settling action of the building the mounting plate 2 movesdownward therewith as does the fastening plate 7 which is attachedthereto. In the event there is too much friction between the fasteningplate 7 and the guide rail to prevent free movement downward offastening plate 7, the inclined slots provided on mounting plate 2permit fastening plate 7 to slide upward with respect to mounting plate2, thereby increasing the clearance between fastening plate 7 and therail to a point where the friction is reduced sufliciently to permitfree movement downward of both mounting plate 2 and fastening plate 7.The friction is reduced by the upward movement of the fastening plate 7to such a position that its shoulder portion 11 is no longer inengagement with the flange edge 8 and its clamping portion 12 engagesthe flange 4 along a new narrow band of contact which because of thetapering of the flange is at a location of lesser thickness. The resultis the same when the building structure remains fixed but the guiderails move upward relative thereto due to thermal expansion, i. e., theguide rail imparts an upward force to each of the fastening plates 7which in turn force the bolts 14 to move upward in the slots 6 relativeto the mounting plate 2.

By having the slots 6 incline-d from the vertical in a downwardlyconverging manner the slidable aligning rail fastener is self-releasing.For example, when the length of the guide rail increases due to thermalexpansion, the forces transmitted to the bolts 14 move the boltsupwardly 1n the slots 6 as may be required to relieve the frictionbetween the fastening plates 7 and the guide rail with the desiredeffect of facilitating the upward vertical movement of the guide rail 3relative to the fastening plates 7, the mounting plate 2, and thesupporting structure 1.

In the event there is a faulty installation of the guide rail because ofaccumulative errors by the construction mechanics, it is not necessaryto dismount the installation or even to dismount a single rail fastener,but rather such errors may be corrected by merely loosening the nuts 17and sliding each bolt 14 and its fastening plate 7 upward or downward intheir respective slots 6 to the position necessary to etfect verticalalignment of the guide rail by adjustment thereof in the horizontalplane.

As it will be understood that this invention is susceptible tomodification in order to adapt it to different conditions withoutdeparting from the scope thereof, it is intended that all mattercontained in the above description or shown on the accompanying drawingshall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. A fastener mounting an elevator guide rail on a supporting structurecomprising, a mounting member for said guide rail secured to saidsupporting structure, said guide rail having a pair of oppositelydisposed tapered flanges the backs of which contact said mounting member, a pair of clamps, one for each of said flanges, and means securingsaid clamps to said mounting member along the opposite edges of saidflanges, each of said clamps having a spring clamp portion in slidablecontact with the front surface of the contiguous tapered flange, wherebysaid guide rail is free to move vertically relative to said supportingstructure without horizontal misalignment of said guide rail.

2. A slidable rail fastener for mounting on a supporting structure anelevator guide rail having a mounting web and a guiding web disposed inperpendicular relation thereto at the center of said mounting web, saidmounting web being divided into a left flange on one side of saidguiding web and into a right flange on the other side of said guidingweb, each of said flanges tapering from a thick dimension at itsjuncture with said guiding web to a thin dimension at its edge, saidfastener comprising, a mounting member for said guide rail rigidlysecured to said supporting structure and in contact with the back ofsaid mounting web, said mounting member having a pair of elongatedslots, one on each side of said mounting web, said slots divergingupwardly, a pair of fastening plates, one for each of said flanges, eachof said plates being of a vertical dimension slightly less than theguide rail width and having an attachment portion with an aperturetherein, a shoulder portion abutting the edge of its correspondingflange and extending slightly above the edge of that flange and a springclamp portion in contact along a narrow band with the surface of saidcorresponding flange clamping said guide rail to said mounting memberwhen said plates are secured to said mounting member, and a bolt and nutfor each of said plates, each of said bolts extending through theaperture in the fastening plate for which it is provided and the slot onthe corresponding side of said mounting member securing said plates andthus said guide rail to said mounting member.

3. In combination with an elevator guide rail having a pair of attachingflanges, a guide rail fastener mounting said guide rail on a supportingstructure, said rail fastener comprising, a mounting member secured tosaid supporting structure and having a pair of upwardly divergent slotsformed therein, said slots being spaced apart slightly more than thewidth of said guide rail, a pair of fastening plates, each having formedtherein a bolt receiving aperture, and a pair of bolts, one each of saidbolts extending through the aperture in one of said fastening plates andone slot in said mounting member securing said fastening plates to saidmounting member, said guide rail being positioned between said fasteningplates with the back surface of its attaching flanges contiguous to thesurface of said mounting member and the front surface of each of saidflanges beneath and in clamped relation to the under surface of one ofsaid fastening plates.

4. A slidable guide rail fastener mounting an elevator guide rail on asupporting structure comprising, a mounting member between said guiderail and said supporting structure secured to said supporting structure,said mounting member having a pair of oppositely inclined slots formedtherein and a contact surface on the front surface of said mountingmember between said slots in contact with the back surface of said guiderail, a pair of fastening plates contiguous said front of said mountingmember, positioned one on each side of said guide rail in clampingrelation to the front surface of said guide rail, and a pair of boltsone for each slot, each of said bolts extending through said slot insaid mounting member for which it is provided securing said fasteningplates to said mounting member for slidable movement with respectthereto so that frictional co-action between said guide rail and saidfastening plates forces said bolt upward in said slot as said mountingmember moves downwardly with respect to said guide rail.

5. In combination with an elevator guide rail having a pair of attachingflanges, a guide rail fastener mounting said guide rail on a supportingstructure, said guide rail fastener comprising, a mounting membersecured rigidly to said supporting structure between said guide rail andsaid supporting structure, said mounting member having a pair of slotsinclined oppositely and upwardly, said slots being spaced apart slightlymore than the Width of said guide rail, a pair of fastening platespositioned one on each side of said guide rail adjacent to saidattaching flanges, each fastening plate having a spring clamp portion incontact along a narrow band with the front surface of its adjacentattaching flange, and a bolt for each fastening plate extending throughone of said slots securing that plate in clamping position on the guiderail to said mounting member, whereby vertical movement of said guiderail relative to said mounting member is facilitated by slidablemovement of said fastening plate on said mounting member along saidinclined slot as said guide rail moves upward relative to saidsupporting structure.

6. An elevator guide rail fastener for attachment to a structurefastening said guide rail substantially stationary with respect to saidstructure, said fastener comprising, a mounting plate having a railsupporting portion and an attachment portion adapted for fastening tothe Wall of a structure, said rail supporting portion having a pair ofupwardly diverging slots therein, said slots at their closest pointsbeing spaced apart slightly more than the width of the guide rail thatis to be fastened, a pair of fastening plates, each having a fasteningportion, a clamping portion and a shoulder portion intermediate saidother portions, each such fastening portion having defined therein abolt receiving aperture, each such shoulder portion being of a heightslightly greater than the edge thickness of the guide rail flange thatis to be secured and each such clamping portion extending outwardly fromthe top of its associated shoulder portion in direction opposite to itsassociated fastening portion; and a pair of bolts, one through eachfastening plate and a corresponding slot in said mounting plate, saidcombination when assembled defining between said conjugate shoulderportions and beneath said clamping portions a guide rail receptacle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS651,186 Hague June 5, 1900 1,058,127 Wolhaupter Apr. 8, 1913 2,134,082Goodrich Oct. 25, 1938 2,321,106 Sanford June 8, 1943 2,700,434Tofanelli Jan. 25, 1955

